(AFP) Ukrainian President Volodimir Zelensky on Thursday reiterated his call for Western allies to send more anti-aircraft systems, after Russia launched a series of missiles against Kiev that left 17 people injured.
The Ukrainian army said it had shot down 31 Russian missiles launched in the direction of the capital, an attack that came after Moscow promised reprisals for intensified Ukrainian shelling of Russian regions near the border.
“This terror continues day and night,” Zelensky said in a message on Telegram.
“It can be stopped with global unity,” he added.
“Ukraine needs this protection now. From Kiev to Kharkiv, from Sumy to Kherson, from Odessa to the Donetsk region. It’s entirely possible if our allies demonstrate sufficient political will,” he insisted.
According to the Ukrainian authorities, the wreckage of the missiles left 17 wounded, 13 in the capital and four in the vicinity of Kiev. The Ukrainian army reported that Russia had fired two Iskander ballistic missiles and 29 cruise missiles.
All the missiles were shot down, according to the Ukrainian military.
Zelensky published a video showing windows of destroyed residential buildings and rubble in the streets, with firefighters trying to control fires. This was the first major attack on Kiev and its region since the beginning of February and came after Ukraine stepped up its shelling of the Russian border region of Belgorod. The Russian authorities have promised revenge for these actions.